As unreal as it may seem, One piece is finally approaching the last stage of its history. After two and a half decades, the end is finally in sight, and as the manga dives headfirst into the Final Saga, it’s clear. One piece has already focused on its ultimate antagonist.
First introduced in Chapter 906 over seven years ago, Imu, the hidden leader of the World Government, is someone who holds many secrets. In fact, Imu’s existence alone is a huge secret within One piece.
Fortunately, after years of hiding in the shadows, One piece the final arcs finally reveal the enigma that is Imu. The Elbaph Arc, in particular, revealed a lot of new information about Imu, which, along with everything that has been revealed so far, finally begins to paint a picture of the situation. One piece mysterious final villain.
One Piece’s final villain is immortal
While a recent addition to the story in the grand scheme of things, it appears that Imu has canonically existed for much longer in One piece. Imu is all but confirmed to have been alive at least since the Void Century. Naturally, any revelation of Imu’s past would have a direct impact on the plot and story of One piece.
This is supported by several pieces of evidence, such as the fact that Imu knew Lily and recounted his mistake of scattering the poneglyphs as if he was present at the time. Imu also seemed to recognize Joyboy’s haki at the end of the Egghead Arc, which is by far the biggest giveaway.
Furthermore, in One piece chapter #1086, Ivankov reveals the existence of Imu Nerona, one of the founders of the World Government, implying that this is the same Imu who gained immortality.
Considering Imu’s ability to grant immortality to the Five Elders and Holy Knights through alliances, it makes sense that Imu would also be immortal.
One Piece Has Already Confirmed Imu’s Gender
When Nefertari Lily was introduced during the Reverie, a very popular theory emerged was that Imu could be Lily herself, or could possess Lily’s body. It would also be incredibly fashionable for One Piece and Eiichiro Oda if the final villain turned out to be an attractive woman.
That said, a subtle detail in the Japanese version of the manga has already confirmed that Imu is male. Essentially, instead of the English prefix “holy”, in Japanese, the Celestial Dragons in One piece receive a certain suffix attached to their name. Add to this series creator Oda’s reference to Imu as a saint, rather than a saint, thus clearing up any ambiguity.
Male sky dragons are called “sei”, while female sky dragons are given the suffix “guu”. Imu, however, is referred to as “Imu-sei” in the Japanese-language manga, confirming that he is male. However, the ambiguity surrounding Imu’s character, particularly the distorted voice, played into the supernatural quality of this final villain alongside the gender ambiguity.
Imu’s true appearance may have already been revealed
During the seven years Imu was introduced, fans only saw a dark, black figure, with the only noticeable feature being her red, ringed eyes. Given how One piece has introduced major antagonists over the years, the natural assumption with Imu was that she was just a silhouette, with the full reveal coming later.
Given how One piece has introduced major antagonists over the years, the natural assumption with Imu was that she was just a silhouette, with the full reveal coming later.
One piece recently teased the Elder Five’s transformations in much the same way before the big reveal about Egghead. However, things may be different with Imu, because what we see might just be what we get.
In chapter 1165 of One piece, Roger and Garp encounter Imu on God Valley, and Roger notably refers to Imu as a “huge black monster”, implying that it may not be a silhouette but Imu’s true appearance.
Imu’s powers have finally been revealed
One Piece’s Elbaph Arc especially revealed a lot about Imu’s powers and abilities, and the list is quite long. For one, Imu at least possesses Conqueror’s Haki, which was seen emanating from Gunko while she was possessed by Imu.
In Gunko’s body, Imu is also seen wielding a grimoire and using it to summon attacks and items seemingly out of nowhere. Another important part of Imu’s arsenal is the Domi Reversi spell, which transforms her targets into demons under Imu’s full control, also granting them greater strength and immortality.
That said, the most crucial and intriguing part of Imu’s abilities are his evil alliances or contracts that he forms with the Five Elders, Holy Knights, and Devoted Blades of God. As revealed in Chapter 1167, there are three different tiers for this contract ability: Shallow Alliance, Deep Alliance, and Abyss Alliance.
Each grants Imu a certain degree of control over the individual in exchange for immortality, regeneration, and increased strength, much like Domi Reversi. The Abyssal Depths and Alliances also allow Imu to possess the individual, as seen with Saturn and Gunko, making her truly a power to be feared, just like everything else about Imu.
- Created by
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Eiichirō Oda
- First film
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One Piece: The Movie
- Cast
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Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ōtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi
